


Guidance

by KateLeeShadows (ThirteenRedVampireBites)



Series: Metamorphosis [2]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Alternate Worlds, Church Grimms, Gen, Grimms - Freeform, Spirit Guides, Spirit World, Temporary Character Death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-26
Updated: 2018-12-26
Packaged: 2019-09-28 01:55:18
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,460
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17173622
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThirteenRedVampireBites/pseuds/KateLeeShadows
Summary: Guides of the Dead are born under certain circumstances. This is just one.





	Guidance

**Author's Note:**

> Day 6 of my Yule gifts!
> 
> I'm done with classes until January so I'm going to try my hardest to get things written out so I can post more often again. It might not happen, I have two regular classes and then two big self-work classes next term so we'll see.
> 
> Thanks to the Tumblr staff in their infinite wisdom (note the sarcasm), you may not be able to see either of my tumblrs, so I'm going to try making sure that any announcements are made on my external blog or twitter. I've been debating moving elsewhere as well, and I'll let you all know if I do.
> 
> Well, I did a dumb. I went and changed my birthday on Twitter... which put me below the age of 13 (which I was when I made it... so I guess it makes sense) which then got my account locked. I have sent in a help ticket stating that I am now over the age of 13, so I should be getting it back, but it may not be until after the holidays, just to let you know.
> 
> ~Kate-Lee

_I love you Bear._

The words seemed to echo around him over and over again as Bear opened his eyes to full and total darkness; solid inky and opaque black around him, and under him, and over him. He whined quietly, pushing himself up to his feet and spinning around to look around this new space he found himself in.

There was nothing. Nothing to see. Nothing to hear. Nothing to smell. The air tasted of nothing. And under his feet, springy ground like the mossy space under the big Wild Cherry tree his Annalise had loved to sit on under the swaying leaves and burgundy fruit. He stretched after a moment, pushing his front legs out to feel the ground further in front of him as he did so; still the same springy ground in front of him.

Bear huffed, righting himself again. He pushed his nose to the ground, sniffing almost silently as he began his walk forward. Further and further he walked from the point where he woke up—but was it really? There were no defining landmarks around, just this inky blackness that seemed to cling to his fur and wrap around his limbs like cloth or seaweed from the shores.

With a huffing sigh, after what seemed forever of endlessly walking, Bear sat down again, unsure of where he was or if he had even actually gone anywhere. The darkness seemed to get darker, and closer as he slumped down to lay down on the ground. Another sigh escaped him as he flopped his head down onto his paws, blue eyes falling to half-mast as he settled in to wait and see what was to come.

 

The next time Bear opened his eyes, it was still to the same blackness but this time there was something different that he couldn’t describe. He blinked a few times, raising his head to look around, which is when he noticed the difference. Off in the distance, a flicking point colored like the blue glass of Annalise’s favourite beads hovered just off in the distance, and it seemed to either be getting closer or growing as Bear watched.

Closer and closer it came, bobbing up and down, up and down as it moved. Soon it was clear to Bear that it was some kind of odd flame-type point of light, little bigger than his head as it came to a stop only a few pace lengths away from him. He tipped his head to the side, studying the flickering flame in interest as it bounced before him. It bounced towards him and more aggressively before floating away again.

It didn’t go far before it seemed to turn around to face him again. It seemed to sigh, drooping in the air as it bopped in place gently. After a moment, the point zoomed close, extremely close before zooming out again. It did this a few more times before Bear got the message that it wanted him to follow, so he pushed himself up to his feet before padding after the point.

It doesn’t seem a long journey, but it was long enough that Bear began to wonder where they were going. Did the point have a destination? Or was something else going on?

The point came to a stop after another while of Bear walking along behind it. It bobbed it place for a long moment, seemingly searching for something before it came to rest just over Bear’s shoulder, appearing to settle in.

After a short moment, the reason for the journey is revealed to Bear as the inky blackness appeared to part for a winged teenage boy. He was tall and lanky with almost skin-and-bone limbs. Dressed in simple black clothes—a long sleeved top and a pair of loose pants—with no shoes, the young man sat down on the floor cross legged and turned bright green eyes on the hulking mass of black fur that was Bear. His wings unfolded to lay along the floor next to the boy, stretched out as far as possible.

In the silence, Bear took a minute to further study the young man. He looked a bit like his Annalise. The same nose and tilt to his eyes. There was even an identical birthmark around the young man’s right eye. The differences were in the coloring of this young man. His Annalise was red haired and brown eyed with pale skin covered in freckles, while this young man was raven haired and green eyed with bronzed skin just as covered in freckles.

His wings were an oddity that Bear had never seen on a Human before. Feathers of varying shades on the monochrome spectrum, as well as feathers made of silver metal and others a bright violet, all added up to a very interesting picture. 

“Hello, Bear,” the young man greeted, his voice a surprisingly deep rumble. “I’m sorry I didn’t come to greet you yesterday, but work took up most of my time.”

Bear made a soft noise, questioning what the man meant. What does it matter when there is nothing around? He wasn’t going anywhere either. There was no where _to_ go as far as he could see. It was all just blackness, nothing around to see until the little flame came to him. He could have waited.

“Do you know why you’re here?”

Bear shifted his weight, shrugging as well as he could. He could guess why he’s here… For the first time, the little flame made a noise, a soft tinkling like the little bells that Annalise had sown into her favourite dress.

“I will elaborate then,” the young man shifted his weight, his wings sliding along the floor as he shifted closer. “There is a tradition in your Annalise’s village. When a new portion of the graveyard is opened, something must be buried first as a guide to the next life. It is usually a dog. A sacrificed dog.”

Bear shook his head. That is not what happened with him. He had not been sacrificed as a First Burial, though he had heard about them from the other dogs in the village.

“I know it’s not what happened with you,” the man assured him. “Your Annalise loved you too much for that to be allowed, so when you died while the Elders were still discussing, she offered for you to be buried there so she could have a place, a concrete place to visit you. Your burial there first, brought you here to the Land of the Dead to be a Guide.”

Bear tipped his head to the side curiously, wondering what that meant for him. It was obvious what his duties were, but would it be forever?

“We can have a more succinct discussion, but I need your permission to make it possible. With your permission I would begin the process of changing you into a Guide.”

Bear nodded his head sharply, eager to have a real conversation with this strange man.

The man rolled to sit up on his knees, his right hand reaching out and anointing on Bear’s head. A pale green fire-light sprang up from his hand and touched against Bear’s head.

Bear shuddered at the heat. His shuddering got more and more violent before finally, it had finished. And he was changed.

The man waved his hand, a reflective silver appearing in mid-air, so he could see.

No longer a dog, Bear was surprised at his reflection. He was a large man, more lithe than muscular though. Long curly black hair fell around his head like a mane, thick and wild much like his fur had been. His eyes had changed too, the blue much more pronounced than before. He looked like Annalise’s sister Heidi’s foreign husband to be honest, as he had the same dark skin and bone structure as Amunshet.

“I—Hello, Death,” Bear croaked, his voice a deep husk as he was unused to speaking.

“Hello, Bear,” Death greeted with a soft smile. “I should mention that you retain your natural form, now you simply have this one as an additional form. Now a discussion of your duties.

“Your primary duty is to guide the Dead over to the next worlds— _Paradiso_ or _Infernum_ most likely, though _Purgatorium_ is also applicable in some cases. You’ll do this in which ever form—this one, your natural, a mix, or a more youthful form—you feel is necessary to help them cross over as easily as possible.

“Your secondary duty is to provide comfort to the living relations of the Dead who come to visit the markers in your section of the graveyard. Very few will be able to see you, but they will always feel your presence. You can speak to them, as a few may hear you, but the way you comfort the visitor is up to you.

“These are your duties and you’re only bound to keep them until no one comes back to your section. When that happens, you are free to continue existing in the Land of the Dead, helping as you feel necessary. Or you may move on, join your Annalise and family on the other side. It will be up to you, and when the time comes you will be free to make your decision any way you like.”

Bear nodded quietly, thoughtful. “What about the little flame? Where does it fall into this?”

“They are the natural denizens of the Land of the Dead, and they are the Guides of the Guides, often coming to be companions to the Guides. They are a harmless fire, so you may pet and play with it as you wish.

“You yourself have a control over the area here. You can have anything you wish, but it will fade away after a time.”

“Anything?”

“Anything.”

“How do I know when I’m needed?” Bear asked, a sudden thought coming to him. “And what will the Dead look like when they arrive here?”

“That is part of the Flame’s abilities. They are tied to the land, so they know when there is someone new here. As to what the Dead will look like when they get here, that depends.”

“On what?”

“Well, age mostly. If they are old, they will appear here old originally, at least until they’ve settled here, then their appearance may change to fit into the happiest part of their lives as they pass on. If they are young, then depending on their age, they will remain that age or grow a bit older to be like should have been so that they understand what is going on.”

Bear nodded, understanding. The little Flame dropped down onto his shoulder, its touch a welcome heat to the chill that had started seeping into his body without the warmth of his fur, even with the outfit of slightly thicker cloth he was wearing.

“Over the next while, you will find that your body will get used to being without your fur when you are without it. And soon the darkness will leave and you will be free to go wherever you wish, but you will be drawn back to your section when you’re needed.”

In fact, as Bear looked around, he could see that the darkness had already begun to brighten and the world around them had begun to change.

“This world won’t be the same as the Life, it’s a bit softer here than there. Nothing is as concrete as there, things are a bit more blurred here than there.”

“It’s good for the Dead that it is,” Bear noted, watching the world around him as he noticed that the darkness was more a thick smoky gray than the pitch black it had been. “It shows the difference between Life and Death. There is the assurance that it is true that they are now dead.”

Death nodded with a smile. “You are a quick study, Bear. It usually takes most Guides several ‘days’ to come to that conclusion. And even then, it is not as comprehensively.”

Bear flushed at the praise.

Death shifted, pulling his wings up against his back. “Let’s get you used to using two legs before I have to leave.” He pushed himself up to standing, crossing the space carefully to hold his hands out to Bear.

Like a newborn colt, Bear shakily got to his feet with Death’s help. Death mantled his wings around them, the heavy appendages helping to keep Bear on his feet as he took his very first steps. Soon he was walking around easily, and Death had released him to walk on his own.

Death opened his mouth to speak but before he could, his head whipped around to look off into the distance. “It’s time for me to go, Bear. My apologies.”

“It’s alright,” Bear assured him.

Death smiled, one hand coming up to cup the side of Bear’s head. “You’ll make a good Guide, Bear.” He pulled away and then simply disappeared.

Bear tipped his head to the side in interest before turning to the Flame, “Will I be able to do that some day?”

The Flame seemed to both nod and laugh as it bounced at his shoulder. The Flame bounced back and forth in front of him.

“I suppose I should figure out how to go about changing forms…” He held a hand out to the Flame, guiding it back to his shoulder as he began to walk around to find a good space to try this.

 

It was what seemed a few months later, the world had been cleared so he could see around him as he wandered through the village, though he hadn’t trained himself out of walking _around_ the people of the village as he wandered around. The first time he’d accidently been walked through was an odd experience; he’d been studying the flowers planted in front of the Bakery in more detail as he’d taken to trying to name all the plants around the village when from inside the Bakery had come Madame O’Neil who’d walked through him. They’d both shuddered, and she’d gone on her way. It wasn’t a problem, but it definitely wasn’t something he wanted to do again.

He’d just started on his day when his little Flame, who he’d called Brook, trilled and started off towards the opposite side of the village to where they had been headed. He spun around to follow, changing from human to dog in a single step as he moved after her. She led the way across the village, spinning around people and through crowds until they arrived at the house of Old Lady Corinne.

Bear paused on the stoop, and took a deep breath, before going inside to do his duty.

**Author's Note:**

> #  [Personal Tumblr](http://thirteenredvampirebites.tumblr.com) / [Writing Tumblr](http://crimsonswolfden.tumblr.com/) / [Twitter](https://twitter.com/Nightworldlove) / [My Writing Blog](https://kate-lee-shadows.blogspot.ca/) / Email: thirteenredangels@hotmail.com  
> 
> 
> ***Tumblr may not work. Just a warning. Twitter too might not work.***  
> 


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